Hey, Jealousy
by callmeakumatized
Summary: "I'm what guy?" Adrien questioned absently. "THE guy," Luka reiterated. "I asked Juleka if she thought Marinette would go on a date with me, and she said yeah, but that M was still hung up on some guy." He grinned. "You're that guy!" The chord Adrien was messing with turned to mush on the spot. "WHAT?" AKA: Dancing, Jealousy, and...did someone order "punch"? [season 2 spoilers!]
1. Playing on Heartstrings

[[A/N: This is a (SUPER BELATED SORRY) birthday present for RoseGardenTwilight! She asked for "jealous Adrien" who checks up on Marinette as Chat Noir to ask about her feelings about him...and Luka. After the events of Frightningale. And a partial Adrienette reveal. So...I may have loved these prompts so much, I...wrote a 5-chapter story. GO CHECK OUT HER TUMBLR SHE IS AWESOME! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ROSE!]]

[[THANKS, NEBALIS-WRITES FOR BETA-ING AND BEING AWESOME! (GO CHECK OUT HIS TUMBLR TOO!)]]

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[[So, in this story, Frightningale has happened, but the music video _hasn't_. Yet. And Adrien and Marinette are 17, Luka is 18, respectively. Enjoy!]]

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A look of comprehension suddenly sparkled in Luka's eyes, followed immediately by a short rock riff and an amused smirk.

"So _you're_ the guy," he drawled out, glancing up at Adrien for just a second before looking back to his fretboard.

"I'm what guy?" Adrien questioned absently. His well-trained fingers flitted across the small keyboard he tugged along for these "practices" at Luka's house. Really, it was just an excuse for the two unlikely friends to hang out.

" _The_ guy." Luka shifted on his bed and strummed a few power chords, letting the reverb echo through the room before continuing. "I asked Juleka if Marinette was interested in me enough to go see a movie or something, and she said Marinette would probably say yes, but that she was still pretty hung up on some guy." He held his arms out and a bright grin spread across his usually muted features. "You're that guy!"

The C7 arpeggio Adrien was messing with turned to mush on the spot.

" _What_?" Adrien finally sputtered out. "You think she's still hung up on _me_? I mean, she _used_ to have some type of crush or… _something_ , but…we kind of…moved passed that?"

 _I crushed her crush_ , were the words he left unspoken. It wasn't a memory he liked to remember, even though it happened a few years prior. The idea that Marinette would still harbor feelings that weren't negative stirred something in Adrien. What could he have possibly done to make Marinette still want to attach herself to him? He wasn't complaining – Marinette was, as Luka liked to say, _amazing_ , and any guy would be lucky to be with her. So, for her to feel something for _him_ , the guy that, essentially, broke her heart at age 15, was extremely surprising. And…something else. Adrien couldn't figure out what it was.

"Why are you so excited about it?" Adrien asked finally. While Marinette still being too emotionally involved toward _him_ that she might not even consider dating anyone else was a downright shock, Luka being blatantly excited about it was giving him the same feeling. Before Luka could answer, however, Adrien finally realized _all_ the implications of what his guitarist friend had just told him.

"Wait…you're asking Marinette out?"

Luka snorted. When Adrien turned to look to him, Luka was looking down, pick in his mouth in favor of some fingerpicking.

"Well, _yeah_." Luka said behind his closed teeth. He reached up and pulled out the pick, dropping his hands in front of his guitar to actually talk uninhibited. "She's _amazing_." ( _Called it_.) "Honestly, I've wanted to for a while." He blinked. "You weren't thinking about it, were you?"

 _Had_ Adrien been thinking about it?

Before this moment, no, not really.

After Luka mentioned that Marinette was still "hung up on him", and, now, that he – _Luka –_ wanted to ask her out…?

…No?

So… _maybe_ he had suddenly pictured what it would be like to take Marinette to the movies himself.

And _maybe_ his mind had suddenly jumped – _completely unbidden_ – to what it would be like to be at the movies with Marinette and…maybe not being 100% committed to being there, with her, and actually, er, _watching_ the movie….

" _Pffft,_ n-no!" Adrien responded quickly, hoping Luka didn't notice the squeak in his voice (or could see what he was thinking). "O-Of _course_ not. She's just a ffff-" He cleared his throat, trying to rid himself of the choking feeling. " _Friend_. She and I are just friends."

The word felt like sandpaper on his tongue.

"Excellent!" Luka grinned, bending over to play a sweet run, fingers twitching so fast up the fretboard Adrien couldn't keep up with what he was playing. "I was kinda hoping 'the guy' was you, 'cause I was pretty sure you weren't into her. Like, you turned her down or something, right? Can't see why, though, man. That's not to say that, if you changed your mind, I wouldn't fight you for her…but I'd rather us stay friends." Luka reached out and punched Adrien in the arm, laughing, then went back to what he was doing…leaving Adrien to sink into this new pit of despair called "conflicted feelings".

 _This is just…just "Older-Brother-Friend" feelings,_ he tried to convince his brain, willing it to forget about that little scene he'd entertained with a black-haired girl in the back of a near-empty movie theater. _I'm just feeling protective because…Luka is so much older! Yeah, that sounds good. Marinette needs to watch herself. And I've got her back! I'm always there for her._

I'm _always there for her. Not…_

"So…aren't you concerned that Marinette will still be too 'hung up on me' to even enjoy your date?"

Not that Adrien cared. He wasn't interested in Marinette like that. And if he wore a smug smile on his face at catching Luka off-guard with his comment in hopes to cause the guy to second-guess his decision to go after his _friend_ , then…well, then Luka didn't deserve her after all, and Marinette would be safe, and free, and _single –_

Luka burst out laughing, dropping his arms from his guitar and leaning forward in an attempt to get the guffaws under control. Then he clasped Adrien's shoulder, making the – rather indignant, at the moment – model jump.

"Adrien," he started, a little breathless. " _Everyone_ has crushes of all sorts. You can't tell me you don't?" Adrien pursed his lips in response, and Luka continued. "Exactly. But show a girl some _true_ affection, dude, give her the attention she deserves, and, whether she forgets her crush or not, she'll be all yours."

" _Yours!?_ " Adrien spluttered, as a _friend_. A _protective_ friend.

 _F-R-I-E-N-D._

(Oh, how he was starting to hate that word.)

"What? Oh, dude, not in like a possessive way or anything. Like in a –" his arms moved in front of him like he was trying to pull the answer out of the air – "'I like kissing you, you like kissing me' sorta way, you know what I mean?"

" _K-Kissing!?_ "

A hum of affirmation was the only response Adrien got. Luka was already leaning over his guitar once more, pausing intermittently to jot something down on his manuscript paper. When the minutes ticked on in deathly silence, Luka glanced back up…and snorted. Adrien remained in suspended animation; both hands hung limply over the keyboard, and his face…his face probably looked like he'd been slapped. At least, that's what it felt like to Adrien. Luka chuckled once more, sighed, then looked back down to finish writing the melody he'd been working on.

"You should go out and kiss a girl, mate."

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[[Thanks for reading! hmu on Tumblr: CallMeAkumatized (Maki, xoxo)


	2. Ruffled Fur

[[AN: Thanks again, nebilas-writes! (3]]

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Chat Noir was _fuming_.

Who did Luka think he was, talking about Marinette like that!? 'Amazing'!? Of _course,_ Marinette's amazing! She's _way_ more than just _amazing!_ She's kind and strong and funny and…!

…well, she's kinda weird too, but in an attractive way, if that was a thing. Which was good for Adrien, since she tended to be that way more often than not around him.

Chat paused in his pacing and smirked to himself. Was it bad how self-satisfied he felt when he could get her flustered enough to elicit some of those crazy responses? Was it bad how often he maybe did it on purpose?

Chat took a few steps to lean on the railing of the rooftop he had stopped on to look to the balcony across the way. The lights of the _Tour de Eiffel_ shone brightly, bathing the scene in a replica of yellow moonlight, giving the shared space a charming, almost ethereal glow. The scene was rendered to near perfect by the excited buzz of couples and tourists buzzing around in the _parc_ by Marinette's house and the motorists hurrying along to enjoy the views of the _Ville de l'Amour,_ 'City of Love' _._

But all Chat Noir could concentrate on was how he had already been rejected by the girl of his dreams, and now, too suddenly for him to be able to properly wrap his head around, found the girl he _himself_ had rejected had become something of an exhilarant to his insides.

 _"Marinette! Really? Love m-me!? I…I mean, I don't know what to say…. No, Mar, I don't feel the same way…_

 _"I'm sorry."_

He hated that he remembered every word of that conversation.

It was unfair.

So, once again, Chat Noir tried to reason with his stupid brain about the situation.

Because it wasn't like he was actually _attracted_ to Marinette. Sure, there were certain _qualities_ she possessed that were attrac- _tive_ , but he never had considered himself actually attrac- _ted_ to her. Like, he hadn't ever _seriously_ thought of the two of them being together. Entertained the idea one or twice? Maybe. A dozen times might, in reality, be a more accurate number. Or even a dozen times a week, but who was really counting!? _Thinking_ about it was safe, because it wasn't like anything would ever happen between the two of them! It was just, like, a fantasy or – _no, NOT_ 'fantasy', that's not…that's not the right word. Imaginings of a love-starved boy? Yeah, that's all. Because, even though Plagg had whined about how _cliché_ it was for him to say it (which was about 99% of why he was Chat Noir right now, so he didn't have to listen to the ornery cuss any longer), Adrien _was_ still hopelessly devoted to Ladybug!

His Lady…

The one who didn't see him in _that way_ at all.

 _"Chat, you_ know _how I feel about staying strictly professional in the suit. We don't have that luxury, so I've never entertained the idea. Sorry, Chaton, but we can't be together…ever."_

He remembered every word of _that_ conversation too.

Chat growled suddenly, pushing off the railing and turning around to cross his arms and pout. _Ville de l'Amour_? More like _Ville_ _des mal-aimés, '_ City of the Unloved' _…_

(…okay, maybe that was a little melodramatic.)

It took a few minutes for a still-scowling Chat's ears to finally twitch enough to draw his attention to the familiar sounds of a certain girl who had just come out from her balcony. When he turned, both cat ears turned too, concentrating everything on _her_.

"…Luka, that sounds, uh, that sounds grood! I mean goot! I mean, I can't wait! Heh, yeah, 7:00 is fine. Okay. Yeah, see you then. Bye."

"New boyfriend?"

Chat was a little satisfied in the terrified scream Marinette had let loose. He easily caught the phone she'd thrown at him and looked down to see a picture of her and Luka on her screen in an open text box.

"Chat!" she finally whisper-shouted at him, hand still clutching her chest from residual fear…though she did have mind enough to march over and snatch the phone out of his hands. "What are you doing here?"

"You didn't answer my question," Chat responded instead, leaping down from where he had snuck onto her balcony railing and getting close enough to lean over her smaller frame. She maintained eye contact with him, surprise at his antics giving way to a small smirk. He felt his pulse rise compulsorily at the splendid sight of her needing to peer straight up at him in their close proximity, with _that look_ on her soft features.

"Since when is it any of your business who I date, Chat Noir?"

Playful Marinette?

 _…yes please._

"I thought you liked the Agreste boy," Chat shrugged, "yet, it didn't sound like that's who you were talking to, _Princessa._ Just wanting to know if I need to protect you from _another_ boy Akumatized because of his unrequited love for you."

This actually made Marinette laugh, though it was tinged with a bit of sadness. "Thanks for thinking so highly of me, really, but I can promise you _'Adrienette' –_ " she used air-quotes with her fingers to emphasize the word – "won't happen."

"'Adrienette'?"

"Adrien…Marinette…." She slapped her hands together. "'Adrienette'."

 _Oh. Never happen, huh…?_

It stung, but Chat couldn't really think of – or maybe couldn't bring himself to admit – _why_. He cleared his throat a little, trying to ignore it all and get his head back in the game.

"But you like this guy? Luka?" Chat leaned on the rail and leaned in a little closer. "Like, _actually_ like him?"

" _Yes,_ Chat," she said simply. "I wouldn't exactly have agreed to go on a date with him if I didn't."

"Why?"

Marinette blinked, apparently not expecting that response.

(Neither was Chat.)

"Why? Why what?"

"Why do you like this guy all of a sudden?"

"Why does it matter?"

"Indulge me, _mon Mari-Cherie_ ," he said quietly.

Why this was so important, he couldn't be sure. It could be something simple and dumb, like reassurance. It could be – and probably was – something else. Either way, for some reason, the answer to this question seemed like the most important thing in the world right now.

"I…" Marinette sighed, looking away. "Well, he's _nice_ , _Chaton_. And, well, he likes _me_. Like…" Marinette smiled to herself. "Like, he actually _likes me._ For me. As I am. Not because I'm –" Marinette's eyes suddenly snapped wide eyes back to Chat, searching his face like he suddenly could guess what she had been about to say. "That is, I mean, not because I'm someone – something! Else. Someone I'm not. 'Cause I don't like to act like someone or something I'm not. And, well…" She wouldn't look up at him now. Pointedly. "That matters more than you might think."

It felt like she was blaming him for being a person that would do that, and…Chat didn't know what to think. What had he done – or, more likely, _said_ – that would have caused her to act that way to him now? He refused to think about how Adrien had turned her down for Ladybug, so what was it about _Chat_ that had tainted her opinion of him? The fact that he had told her that he loved Ladybug before? Didn't he have a right, as one superhero to another, to have a "celebrity crush" on His Lady as Marinette had had for _him_?

Marinette sighed, the sound shaking Chat from his stupor. Without looking back, she walked quietly to her trapdoor, opened it, and slipped inside, pausing when only her head and uplifted arm could be seen. She looked over her shoulder at him.

"Goodnight, Chat Noir." Her smile was soft, maybe even a little sad. As he watched, unable to look away, and equally unmatched for any more conversation, Marinette's small smile turned up in the corner slyly.

"Don't _stray_ too far, _Minou_. You're always welcome to my rooftop."

A quick wink – a _wink –_ and she was gone. And Chat Noir was left to stew in his own mind, swimming in the confused goop that used to be coherent thoughts and steady emotions.

… _I'm in trouble_.

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[[AN: Thanks for reading!]]


	3. Masked Masks Masking Masked Masks

[[AN: Thanks again, Nebs!]]

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Adrien hadn't stopped by Marinette's – or, really, talked to her much at school either – since that night, and now, watching the display in front of him, he really, _really_ wished he had kept up the pursuit. Whether it was via Chat Noir _or_ Adrien, it didn't matter much at this point; Adrien knew for certain, now –especially in _this particular, wonderful, awful_ moment – that he did, in fact, hold some sort of "romantic" feelings for Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

He had put himself in this position. He had only himself to blame for this. It was a ridiculous decision really; he _knew_ she had already gone on a date with Luka, that she _liked_ him, and that he – Adrien – had no right to any form of attraction for his " _friend"_ …but _knowing_ it and _seeing_ it, to Adrien's quick realization and utter horror, were completely different things.

 _"Ok…so we have the Lourve location covered," one of Nightingale's secret assistant's (the singer herself still wasn't "legally" allowed to shoot a video there – utterly ridiculous) said, tapping her chin with a pencil and looking pensively at a clipboard in her hand. "It looks like we still need people for the Trocodero, the Seine – "_

 _Adrien watched Alya nudge Marinette with her elbow, then lean in to whisper in her friend's ear._

 _"You know, I'm sure you and Luka would make a great_ pair _, if you wanted to do this_ to-geth-er…"

 _Marinette's neck went red, to Adrien's annoyance. He tried to look away, to not listen, but…_

 _But when Luka had openly volunteered to partner with Marinette by the Seine, and then whisper to her that they could just take a walk or something to his houseboat later…_

Guess what Adrien did.

(Ha! No, just guess.)

Adrien fingered the Ladybug mask around his eyes, wondering why, for the love of _Pete_ , he had thought that volunteering so they could have "an even three" (yes, he had really said that) for their group was a Good Idea™.

Because it wasn't. At all. Not as an idea, and now, definitely not as reality either.

Not when Marinette was silently practicing dance moves to the side wearing _his_ mask.

Not when Marinette was humming to herself and sashaying while wearing _his_ mask.

And, most of all, not when Luka, wearing _His Lady's_ (he was ignoring what that meant in the moment) mask, was openly flirting, like _Chat Noir_ , to _Marinette wearing HIS MASK._

And then – then! – Luka had the _nerve_ , the _audacity_ , to pull into a bow, tug on Marinette's hand and kiss it, a "My Lady" leaving his mouth and leaving Adrien with a disgusting taste in his own.

"She really is amazing, isn't she, Adrien?" Luka sighed from beside him.

Oh.

Right.

And now, while the make-up team was doing final touches on Marinette's pouty bottom lip (not that Adrien was watching), Luka had joined Adrien to rub it in how many blushes he had won from the pretty, dark-haired girl (maybe not his _exact_ words), and how he was hoping to get that kiss tonight, and how she really seemed to be getting over _Adrien_ –

"She really is amazingly still in love with me."

Luka's head snapped toward Adrien. "What?"

"You know that, right?"

 _This is soooo wrrooooong…_ Adrien's mind screamed at him. Adrien only backhanded the little sucker, finally deciding to take matters into his own hands and heart, not his stupid head. Plagg shifted in his shirt, and Adrien knew he was reveling in the new heavy atmosphere his words had placed over the two…er…"friends".

Luka crossed his arms, standing a little taller. Adrien thanked his genes that he had grown true model-tall in the last few years; intimidation could be a powerful ally right now.

(And, honestly, probably his only ally; there was no way anything from this was going to end well. Like, at all.)

"I don't think I quite get what you're trying to say, Agreste," Luka finally responded, facial expression true to his words…though they came out sounding more like a dare than an inquiry.

"Well, I mean…" Adrien started, playing the "obviously fake innocence" card in tone and, as he lifted his hand to scratch at the back of his neck, in gestures as well. "I haven't wanted to say anything, especially not since our little talk last week, but…Marinette hasn't changed at all since then. Even after your little date."

Luka could see it – _feel_ it – and Adrien knew he had crossed a line he couldn't go back from.

"Honestly, Adrien, it just sounds to me like you're a little jealous."

"Jealous?" Adrien laughed humorlessly, taking a step closer to the other boy and purposely looking him over. "Jealous of _what_ , Luka?"

Heat flashed in Luka's eyes, and both boys' jaws tightened at the same time…only for them to jump apart a moment later when the girl they had been talking about (fighting over) came up to them suddenly.

"Haha, you guys look so cute in those Ladybug masks!" Marinette giggled, rosy-cheeked and bright-eyed from excitement and exertion. Adrien felt his own face heat up when she turned to look at him with a wide smile and humor in her eyes.

He bristled at the wink she gave Luka.

"What I meant to say, My Beetlebugs, is you guys really look like the cat's meow!"

Marinette winked again, laughing. She turned around, an arm linked through Luka's, the pair heading off for the shoot site and giggling between them. The scene was enough to make Adrien _sick_.

That is, if he had been paying attention. Fortunately, Adrien was completely oblivious to the display in front of him.

Unfortunately, his ignorance came from – ironically enough – the realization that he suddenly knew _too much._

Adrien stood, frozen in time, his mind forcibly yanked back in time years previously, when a younger Ladybug had held up a cosplay Chat Noir mask she'd picked up at a street booth the night before their joint patrol.

 _"And just who are_ you _supposed to be?" Chat had laughed when she had perched quite catlike on the ledge next to him, the black mask strapped around her own red one._

 _"I'm La Chaton Noire, The Black Kitten!" Ladybug – er, "La Chaton Noire" – had responded, and in a flirty, giggly tone, no less._

 _Chat snorted, a weird mix of humor-filled attraction making his heart beat a little faster._

 _(He could only hope to snap a picture of her wearing his colors as proof this wasn't some type of messed-up illusion.)_

 _"Alright, 'La Chaton Noire,'" Chat purred, playing along with her (adorably cute) little game. "If you have the black cat Miraculous, who – eeruuuhhh?_

 _Ladybug Noire had suddenly gotten up from her kitten-esque crouch and, after pulling something from behind her, reached forward to put the object around Chat's head. When she leaned back, she looked incredibly pleased at the sight in front of her. Before Chat could even think, Ladybug took out her compact and snapped a picture of him, then turned it around so he could see it. Staring back at him was an (embarrassingly) addled Chat Noir with a Ladybug mask on his face._

 _"_ You _," Ladybug said, through her giggles. "Are now…um…my Beetlebug! And, my, my, Beetlebug, you really look like the cat's meow!"_

He had laughed then, but Adrien wasn't laughing now. Now, he was only hoping his lunch stayed in his stomach.

She couldn't…be _her_ …right?

Warily, Adrien started forward toward the stilled couple waiting by the Seine. He eyed the girl – _stared_ appraisingly at her – and…well, he couldn't tell if he was excited by this new development…or absolutely terrified.

He'd had some suspicions, if he was honest with himself, but nothing conclusive enough to cohesively blend the two girls into one wonderful woman. To even think that Marinette could be Ladybug would to be to say that Ladybug could be Marinette, and if that were the case, then…

Then he was even more _stuffed_ than he had previously believed, and that was really saying something.

 _…oh my gosh I rejected Ladybug._

"HA!" Adrien blurted out, his abrupt presence beside Luka and Marinette causing the two to jump at the outburst. Adrien ignored their reactions, opting instead to move right into Marinette's personal space and wrap a snug arm around Marinette's shoulders. He pulled her in close to him, looking her so dead in the eye they were practically nose-to-nose.

"That was _great_ Marinette," he murmured, grinning _stupidly_ (he could _feel_ it). "You really seem to have a handle on just how Chat Noir would act." He pulled her back a little to openly assess her look, though not loosening the hold he had on her in the slightest. Goaded on by her shocked but flushed face, Adrien pulled her into him again. This time, however, he came in too close for the action to be considered anywhere _near_ gentlemanly or platonic. She shuddered when he nosed her ear; the sensation of it – of _her_ – pulsed through him with a sudden heat. Their closeness and her hair were the only things keeping his _Chat-_ like grin hidden.

"I have to say, though," Adrien continued, his voice no more than a breathy whisper on her ear in hopes to keep his words just between the two of them. "I find you _much_ more attractive in that mask than you would think, M- _Marinette_."

The "My Lady" barely stayed on the tip of Adrien's tongue. To try to hide his little flub, Adrien placed a ghost of a kiss on her temple, then disentangled himself and walked away, suddenly too flustered – and too darned _pleased_ with himself – to be able to look back at either Marinette's or Luka's reaction.

"Ok, people!" their director called out. "Let's get started!"

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[[AN: Thanks for all the awesome favorites, follows, and reviews! Y'all are so AWESOME!]]


	4. Different Flying Fists, Same Exact Pain

[[AN: SO SORRY if I didn't explain this clear enough before (spazzy space-cadet, right here). This is an AU where they've been superheroing for the last few years, but Frightningale JUST happened not too long ago. (3 OH. And, fyi, I rewrote nearly this entire chapter 'cause it was bothering me, so when I got it to where I more-or-less wanted it, I didn't dare go back through, not even to edit (grammar and stuff). So, please forgive anything I overlooked! Enjoy!]]

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[[So...Nebs pretty much wrote this awesome (painful) scene you are about to witness. XD

Rose, my dear, you said you wanted jealous Adrien, right? ;D]]

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 _Marinette has a crush on me but is Ladybug who doesn't like the other part of me like that and Luka is planning to make-out with the love of my life to "help her get over me" which he is probably more determined to do now that he knows about my jealousy and –_

The shoot went about as well as one would think, with the drama amped up to a "tense love-dodecagon on a B-rate, daytime-TV soap opera" level.

Between Adrien and Luka, who were trying to maim each other through death-stares alone, a competition had started to see who could dance the best behind Marinette. It was pretty evenly matched; both boys were sweating profusely and panting like dogs (much to Adrien's chagrin) in their efforts to be the dancing alpha. That is, until Luka stumbled. It was only a few skidding steps at the end of a turn, but Adrien had pegged it as a win. Before he could mentally add the tally under his name, however, Marinette, yelping with concern, rushed over to make sure Luka was okay…and stayed to help him with through the move, placing a hand on his hip and swinging him with her back and forth to get the sashay _JUST. RIGHT._ When Marinette went back to her spot, Luka, flushed due to more than exertion-related heat, tossed Adrien the most wicked smile Adrien had ever seen (and really, considering who his father was, that was saying something).

Adrien, though, was a cat at heart. And, like all great cats, knew how to take disappointment and turn it into opportunity (he ignored that lesson in regards to Marinette. Mostly because he didn't see it as a failure…yet). A moment later, Adrien somehow "accidentally" lost his footing, and landed roughly on his backside. Marinette, giggling, rushed to his aid.

It took all of five minutes, and someone, _miraculously,_ both Luka _and_ Adrien seemed to have lost all dancing abilities at once.

The director and crew were, at least, greatly entertained. Even the choreographer said nothing. When Adrien, who was, at the moment, enjoying Marinette fawning over his recently-"sprained" wrist, checked sheepishly to see if they were going to get yelled at by the crew, he swore he saw money change hands between nearly the entire crew, all eyes on them, and knowing grins on their faces.

In the end, Adrien and Luka had called a silent truce when the choreographer, through ghosts of smiles of his own, unexpectedly asked Marinette to perform each separate part by herself while the boys followed along. The subsequent dance solo, rather than drawing in the boys' attention in order to be able to mimic Marinette's moves, only lead to two entranced "gentlemen", an oblivious Marinette, and a giggling film crew.

Adrien and Luka had, at that point… _stopped_. Stopped glaring at each other, stopped trying to imagine new ways to mess themselves up, and, well, pretty much stopped thinking in general. The only thing about them that _hadn't_ stopped was their rather blatant ogling of the dancer in front of them. Adrien didn't know what Luka was thinking, and frankly, he couldn't find himself to care in that moment. The only thing Adrien could concentrate on was the mental image of Marinette doing that dance…while dressed like Ladybug. Without even glancing at Luka's face, he could tell the boy was in a similar mental state of unrest.

(Not for the first time, Adrien found himself absently hoping that no one in the near vicinity could read minds. Not that he was necessarily embarrassed…but the fantasy was far too beautiful to share with _anyone_ …especially Marinette herself.)

"You guys got that?" asked a slightly-winded Marinette, ending her routine in a pirouette to turn to the two boys behind her.

Luka and Adrien glanced at each other, then back to Marinette, then back to each other, an understanding coming between them.

"I-I-I think we, uh, we need to see that just oNE – er – _one_ more time, M," Luka finally managed. He did nothing to acknowledge nor excuse the significantly conspicuous squeak in the middle of his statement. The look on his face told Adrien it was likely the guy didn't notice it himself.

"Y-yeah," Adrien agreed readily with his new – though temporary – co-conspirator. His hands were twitching; Adrien clasped his hands to his hips with a white-knuckle grip to keep from giving away their surreptitious intentions by way of his nervous hand-behind-his-neck tick. "We, uh, we-we don't get that, er, _those_ moves at, uh, at-at-at-at – eh _hem –_ at all."

Now that the shoot was over, Adrien rested slouched against a wall, hidden from knowing stares and suggestive eyebrows. All that was out there was too little of Marinette to himself, _way_ too much embarrassment to stomach at the moment, and…definitely not enough brainpower to formulate the right combination of words to even _try_ to explain his stupid situation to _his_ Marinette. (Plagg hadn't helped matters…Adrien didn't even want to _think_ about what his tiny companion had suggested, egregiously unhelpful as the "advice" was). The simple idea that he was in the process of losing Marinette was _awful_ ; the _fact_ that he had let her and, by default, _Ladybug,_ slip through his fingers stirred the bile bubbling up in his throat once more.

But what could he do?

What claim, what _right_ did Adrien have to come out now, when Marinette was starting something with someone who truly "liked her for her" (oh, how those words made sense to him now, and how he cursed his stupid Chat side and his hero-worship tendencies).

Then there was the friend had only held out on asking Marinette on a date because of what _might_ be going on between the her and Adrien. Though, while Adrien felt horrible about how his own delusions and feelings had messed with his friend, he was, in all honesty, _far_ more worried about Marinette than Luka at the moment.

The soft padding of footsteps and accompanying voices sounded from next to Adrien. He flattened himself against the wall he had taken refuge behind; he didn't feel like talking to anyone right now, especially not –

Luka and Marinette's figures appeared in his peripherals.

– those two.

 _Oy…._

Adrien sighed, eyes going heavenward in silent prayer. He _really_ didn't want to be seen now, but had no way out of the alleyway he was in but to go the way he came in…right next to where Marinette and Luka were. His best bet was to just wait it out, wait for them to pass…

…which made it extremely frustrating when the pair decided to stop walking.

Now Adrien found himself in a _perfect_ position for him to see and hear them, yet remain unseen.

Great.

 _Great._

"Oh," Luka said suddenly, cutting through their collective giggles (probably from some _dumb_ thing he said). "You've got a bit of…"

It was a ploy. Adrien saw it from a mile away. He'd read the magazines, he'd seen the videos, he'd done the photo shoots. Luka was about to go in for the attack, make all of his wildest dreams come true. And Adrien didn't want to see – or _hear_ – the rest of what was about to happen. But, just as he mentally prepared to reveal himself and run away (screaming, fingers in his ears), Marinette gently took a step back from Luka, her hands pulling nervously at the bottom of her shirt.

 _What…? Didn't she…didn't she want this?_

"Um, Luka?" Marinette said lightly, her face still bright smiles and eager blushes despite the reluctance in her posture and voice. "I mean…. Well, I – that is…I like yo – like, I _really_ like you, Luka. You're pretty – " ( _I'M pretty!_ ) " – you know, great! But I…" she sighed, glancing away momentarily before looking back up to Luka's face. "I just…can't."

"Can't what, M?" Luka asked, seemingly unperturbed.

"I can't…I…I'm not ready to pursue any type of, uh, relationship right now."

Luka sighed, but it almost seemed more of an _annoyed_ thing than anything else. His arms crossed loosely in front of his chest.

"Because of Adrien?" he intoned, looking at Marinette with a smile so fake, it could have been worn by Adrien Marinette's eyebrows went up in surprise. "What!? I…no! That's – !" The girl took a deep breath. "…maybe?"

Luka's demeaner shifted slightly, lips pursed and expression appearing for all the world like he was trying to explain to a toddler why you don't throw rocks at cars, but the kid didn't want to listen.

"Marinette," he hummed, voice low, but clipped, "I didn't want to say anything before, because I hoped that I could help you get through this, but…I talked to Adrien. He came over last week and hung out, and I asked him about you two, just to make sure there really wasn't _anything_ actually going on between you guys before I…"

Luka took a step closer, sobered eyes scanning every inch of Marinette's face.

 _Mine,_ Adrien inwardly snarled. His lip curled, revealing fangs that weren't actually there; he could feel the aggressive physical response, but he didn't stop it – didn't care to find out if he even could.

Marinette looked frozen from her position, poised under Luka's gaze as she was. Her cheeks weren't burning a fiery red, though, as Adrien would have expected. It was an odd thing for a girl who was, habitually, easily flustered. Instead, she appeared to be rather ashen-faced.

 _Scared._

She was _scared._

"What did he say?" Her voice was almost too low for Adrien to hear.

"I don't think you'd like to hear it, M."

Marinette looked like she didn't even notice Luka's presence. At least, not anything more than him being a person from whom she needed information. "Please, Luka…what did he say?" A rattling breath escaped from her. "What did he say about _me_?"

 _No…_ Adrien's internal workings seized up. He remembered that conversation; Luka wouldn't even have to fluff anything to make it sound like Adrien didn't care anything about her! He cursed himself again for not having the presence of mind enough to see that girl for who she was – absolutely beautiful inside and out – and claimed her for his own.

Oh. And he really wished he had taken that moment to tell Luka to take his feelings and _stuff it._

"I…" Luka began, then sighed again, the sound almost coming out like a growl. "He said he only sees you as a _friend_ , Marinette. That he doesn't think you'll ever be more than that. Honestly, I think he has his heart set on some other girl."

A fat tear cut a path halfway down her cheek before Marinette reached up to swipe it away. Her eyes were terribly wide, her pallor only growing whiter by the second.

Adrien swayed in his spot as if he had just been punched. And…he wished he had. Maybe then he wouldn't have seen the look on her face. It was raw, etched in a mix of something like betrayal and resigned sadness.

It _killed_ him.

 _You did this,_ his brain reminded him. _YOU hurt this wonderful girl. She deserves more than what you can offer her, more than what you have or could EVER offer her._

Adrien felt the wetness in his own eyes.

"Luka!" Marinette's voice rang out, and Adrien, almost alarmed by the sudden strength imbibed in its tones, whipped his previously-averted eyes to the scene playing out in front of him. Marinette had splayed fingers pushing against Luka's chest. Luka was leaning over Marinette as if he had been closing in on her face with his own. Marinette wasn't done talking, though, and continued on in the carrying voice that gave Ladybug her commanding presence.

"I just said I can't be in a relationship right now."

"Marinette, please," Luka said, a sarcastic lilt to his low drawl. "Adrien is a lost cause, M. You've wasted _years_ of your life obsessing over this glorified _crapwad._ " Marinette turned and tried to walk away, but Luka grabbed her wrist, pulling her back to him. "He is _never_ going to lo-"

Marinette yelped when a fist came out of nowhere, decking Luka in the jaw.

Adrien had handled the flirting. He'd endured the giggling. And, if Marinette had seemed willing, he would have left this alone – _them_ alone – and gone on his way.

But he _touched her._

And Adrien had lost his crap.

Seemingly small victory as it was, Adrien didn't even get to fully enjoy the reality of what had just happened. In the half of a second from where he had lunged at Luka to when he whirled around to check on Marinette, pain exploded on his own face.

The sound of splintering cartilage filled his ears.

Adrien stumbled back a couple steps and landed roughly on his butt. His hand absentmindedly padded the throbbing spot that – he cringed – _used_ to be his nose. Through his fuzzy vision, he saw Luka sprawled out on the ground still, running a hand over his face, and then…Marinette. Marinette? Adrien blinked rapidly, trying to fight the tunnel vision encroaching from all sides. Yeah, that was definitely Marinette standing there…with red knuckles…and her hands covering her mouth in apparent shock. Adrien pinched his nose and looked up at the sky to try to stop the bleeding he could feel on his face, regretting the decision immediately when the world went fuzzy.

 _…wait._

 _Did she just…punch me!?_

* * *

[[AN: Guys - GUYS. You are blowing me away, and I couldn't thank you enough for all the reviews/follows/favorites you've thrown at me. It's such an uplifting thing, something like that. Basically, what I'm saying is that YOU GUYS ROCK!

And THANKS SO MUCH for reading!]]

[[Have a question? A comment? A PROMPT!? hmu on Tumblr, yo! n.n]]


	5. Pardon My Accent

[[ Heeeyyyyy! SO SORRY for the delay! I was just trying to milk it for all its worth, so I wanted to wait until... KIDDING.

I wrote this out. TWICE. And hated it both times, and then crap got REAL in my life and now here I am! 2 in the morning and posting this because of guilt - NO! BECAUSE I LOVE YOU ALL. :3

THANKS, NEBS, FOR LOOKING THIS OVER AND BEING MY SOUNDBOARD AND TELLING ME TO JUST WRITE THE DARN THING.

HHHAAAAPPPPYYY BBIIIIRRRTTTHHHDDDAAYYYY TOOOOOOOO RRROOOOOOOOSSSSSEEE! :DDDD

(GO CHECK THESE GUYS OUT! nebilas-writes and RoseGardenTwilight - They're on fanfiction, Ao3, and tumblr!) ]]

* * *

"Come _on_ , Adrien!" Marinette's angry voice brought him back to reality again, followed by a rough-but-not-too-rough push on the back of his shoulders. "I can't carry you, you need to move your legs!"

"Whad?" Why did his voice sound funny? "Where are we – "

"Ugh! If you aren't going to move your legs – you know what?"

Two small hands pushed down on his shoulders suddenly. Before Adrien even knew what was going on, he grunted in pain, his backside having come in contact with something rather hard.

"Ow…" he whined, the small…hallway? starting to spin too much for him to keep his eyes open anymore.

"Hey – _hey!_ "

Adrien jerked when a sharp pain met his cheek.

"Don't you fall asleep, Adrien Agreste! You stay awake, do you hear me?"

"Marined?" Adrien asked dazedly. "Where are we?"

Marinette sighed. "Just-just stay awake, ok? I'll be right back. Here – "

A rustle of fabric, and then something soft was pushed into his face. A hand from somewhere reached one of his own, yanking it up to push against the cloth covering his nose.

"Keep your head and hand up there, alright?"

Adrien groaned in reply. He heard his companion scoff, and, had he looked up at her, he would have seen one magnificent eye-roll.

"You only have yourself to blame for this, you know," Marinette continued in a low voice. Adrien chanced a glance up to her, only to see her peeking through the windows of a great blue door at something.

Where _were_ they?

Before Adrien could even lift his eyes to fully examine his surroundings, a wave of nausea suddenly stirred in the pit of his stomach. He closed his eyes and bent his head down to his knees, feeling more and more cross by the minute. The pain was flooding his face, pulsating through his forehead and cheekbones and threatening to beat a nasty rhythm straight into his eyeballs. In a moment of whiny self-pity, Adrien indulged in a little game of chance.

" _I_ didn' b'eak my nose…" he muttered into his bundle, daring Marinette to hear him. No reply came, and Adrien, sick of the jumbled words he was vomiting, blew his nose into the fabric-whatever Marinette had given him. The pain made him cry out in a pitiful whine, but, hopefully, despite the retch-worthy pain he had just endured, his voice would at least sound more…intelligible.

"Ex _cuse_ you?"

Adrien froze.

…he really had thought he had said it quietly enough.

There comes a time in every young man's life when he questions the purpose of his life and the role he has in the universe. 'Who am I, really?' he might ask. 'Have I made my mark on the world?' might be something else that would cross his mind.

'I'm dead before I even lived,' though unusual, wasn't unheard of…because Adrien was mumbling it to himself. Just now.

In fact, it was the only coherent thought running through his mind at the moment.

 _She's going to kill me, and I totally deserve it._

Adrien gave a start when he felt a gentle – though quite, _quite_ firm – pull on his hair. His head was forced upward, and he hated how vulnerable he felt in this moment, mostly from not being able to close his mouth to purse his lips. Marinette, whose fingers were currently curled securely in his hair ( _man_ had he imagined this moment! Although, a _little_ differently, he'd have to admit), was now crouched in front of him, eyes skimming over his face. The look she had was, at first, just short of _frightening_ ; curled lip, furrowed brows, flushed face…it was a look he knew well, just…behind the mask. Toward Chat. When he did something really, _really_ stupid.

(For some reason, Adrien was a little relieved that she didn't wholly reserve her "I'm so incredibly done with you" face for just Chat.)

As Adrien sat statuesque in front of Ladyb- _Marinette,_ he watched the girl's terrorizing visage morph into something a little softer, her eyes that held a fervent fire fading into a gentle frown. He flinched when she reached up to touch his nose, but didn't pull away. He trusted her too much to think she would hurt him. Well, hurt him _again_.

"Do you think it's broken?" Marinette asked, grimacing.

Adrien gave her a flat look. "It's _squooshed_. You _squooshed_ it."

Marinette was red, and not just on her cheeks. Her neck, ears, and even a bit of her chest were stained in the color. A 'tsk' sound left her, and she moved to sit on the (…stairs. They were definitely on stairs) step next to Adrien, facing away from him.

"It's not like you didn't deserve it," she huffed out.

Adrien's frustration at the whole _stupid_ situation started to rise. His father was going to hear about this, and not in the 'My Daddy's the Mayor' or 'I've got a rich Daddy in the Ministry of Magic' way, but in a 'You'll never be allowed out of the house ever, ever, ever, ever – do you HEAR ME, ADRIEN!? – EVER' way.

 _Why did it have to be the face!?_

"My _nose_ , Marinette! My. _NOSE!_ "

"It's not like I meant to!" she whisper-shouted back at him, turning to face him. "And for goodness' sake, keep your voice down!"

"Didn't _mean_ to - !? _Marinette._ " Adrien pulled the fabric all the way down from his face and Marinette visibly _flinched_. "I kinda think this was a little straight-on for someone who – " he pulled his hands into the air between them, one hand clutching the bloodied mass still, and raised his fingers for air-quotes – "'didn't mean to'."

This time, Marinette was the one to give Adrien an unimpressed look. "I _meant_ I didn't do it _on purpose!_ It was just a…reaction! A reflex!"

Adrien snorted. "You're going to blame this on 'being Ladybug' now? Please. As if you didn't just _gloat_ about 'self-control' just the other night, after I – " Adrien suddenly stopped. The memory suddenly flooded his brain, a grin growing on his face and his mood lightening _significantly_ from the mental picture show playing in his brain:

 _Chat dropped down suddenly, pouncing on top of Ladybug before she could get away._

 _"Chat!" she squealed, laughter catching the edge of her exclamation in just the way Chat loved. "What're you – ? AARRGGGHHH STTTAAAHHHPP!"_

 _But Chat Noir_ didn't _stop. He continued to rub his forehead and cheek all over Ladybug, any inch he could reach, before she kicked him in the gut. He was okay with that, though; the deed had already been done…and she smelled_ wonderful _._

"After I _scent-marked_ you."

If Adrien had been looking – instead of dazedly daydreaming – maybe he would have thought about the crap coming out of his mouth _before_ it spilled out. Marinette's sickly expression of absolute horror and distaste stayed a safe secret, however, Adrien blissfully ignorant while lost in the joy this particular recollection awarded him.

"Y-You…you're…?" Marinette took in a deep, rattling breath. "I…. T-T- _That's_ what you were doing!?"

Without warning, a petite fist came down on Adrien's arm, making him yelp in surprise. He tried to wave Marinette and her fists of fury away – hadn't he been hurt enough already? – but as his arm came out to flail at the abuser, Adrien felt nothing but air touching his fingertips. That's when he realized the heavy stomping up the stairs must belong to Marinette.

"I can't be _lieve_ this...!" she was saying to herself in a rather loud rumble of a voice. "How is this my life? Who does – who does he _think he is!?_ What did I – _UGH!_ "

A door slammed somewhere, and the entire stairway shook with the force of it.

Adrien's eyes started to feel heavy once more, relaxed as he now was after thinking about Ladybug. Leaning against the wall of the stairway, he smiled to himself, and thought about how a cat-nap right now sounded like the _purr_ -fect –

"Oh _man_ , Adrien!" Plagg's scritch-scratchy voice suddenly hissed merrily right into Adrien's ear. The boy gave a start, but Plagg paid him no heed. "What were you _thinking_? Usually I can tell when someone's about to make a bad decision, but for the first time in centuries, you actually took me by surprise! _Haha!_ " Plagg zoomed in circles around the stairway as if unable to contain his amusement. The grin never left his face…and neither did the mischievous glint that Adrien found so often in his tiny eyes.

 _What the…?_

Adrien sat up a little taller. If Plagg was this happy – especially with something _Adrien_ had done, and apparently had done recently – something must be terribly _wrong_. 'Bad decision'? Instantly, Adrien replayed everything that had just happened. Somehow, he'd made Ladybug – no, wait, _Marinette_ – angry at him…but that could be from anything! If she had figured out just _one thing_ about Adrien, or what he _knew_ – beyond what had happened _in plain sight right in front of her_ – she would be _ticked_. But she hadn't, had she? Maybe she was just ornery about the "gloat" comment…but really, she _totally_ deserved it! He'd wanted to get back at her ever since she'd _said_ that at the top of the _Trocodero_ , and now –

 _OH GREAT MAMA SASSAFRASSIN' CHEESE CORN._

Adrien buried his face in his cloth once more, a great groan rattling his hands through the fabric.

Plagg, who seemed to have been just _waiting_ for this moment, exploded in pent-up glee.

"Realized – _HAHAHA!_ I can't even – _HAHAHA!_ I can't – I can't even _say_ it!" Plagg's laughter rang loud in Adrien's head, the force matching the throbbing of the blood rushing into his ears perfectly, igniting an entirely new cacophonous _mess_ of mental agony. "R-Realized what you _said, did you!?_ " The black cat had now landed on the floor on his back, his little paws clutching his stomach and feet waving around in unadulterated _mirth_.

"Plagg…Chat Noir doesn't have a 'become one with the shadows' ability, does he?"

Plagg, helpful as ever, only laughed harder.

Adrien was growing irritated. "Plagg, would you _shut up!?_ You're going to wake the neighbors! Or someone else is going to _see_ you and –"

"Yeah, it's too late for that," another voice said.

Adrien whipped around so fast, his vision tunneled immediately. There was a shuffling of feet – very _Marinette_ -like feet, and Adrien felt the slip of the hand on his sleeve. The collective force of this latest debacle caused Adrien's rumpus to slide off the stair…and his consciousness to slide from the cognizant world.

"Realized what you said, have you?" Marinette echoed Plagg's words from before. If words had a taste, these would have come with extra spice.

Adrien, effectively hiding his entire face behind the cloth she'd given him except for what he was sure were _huge_ , shocked eyes, only nodded. Marinette sighed, reaching into the small basket she had brought with her to pull out some medical supplies. She reached up and tried to pull his hands down gently…but Adrien, who was still not sure if he was actually passed out in some alley somewhere, under an Akuma's influence, or – scariest of all – _actually_ sitting on the stairs with Maribug who was _not impressed_ by Adrichat, reflexively leaned away from her outstretched fingers. She gave him a _look_ , then tried again…with the same result. After the third time, she smacked her own leg in frustration.

"Adrien _Agreste_!" she whisper-yelled through slightly-clenched teeth. "You have given me – and a _lot_ of other people – so much crap tonight, and I am presently _not_ in the mood to play these games with you, so you had better lower your hands _right now_ so we can clean up your bloodied face!"

Ten minutes later, Adrien was leaning against the wall of the stairwell, pouting, Marinette leaning over him with one arm across his chest to hold him down, and the other arm gently working at cleaning his face. Both teens were panting heavily, beads of sweat from sheer exertion trickling down their faces.

"You owe me an entire roll of medical tape now," Marinette said quietly, in between winded breaths, not looking away from what she was doing. "You know that, right?"

Adrien only narrowed his eyes at her, but he didn't pull at the make-shift bindings tying his wrists to the banister. That tape crap was strong, and, while they both know he probably _could_ break it if he tried hard enough, Adrien just didn't have the gusto in him anymore, not after the day he had, and definitely not after the impromptu wrestling match he'd just endured with Marinette when she manhandled him into this position.

Marinette only rolled her eyes again and sighed…though the small twitch at the corners of her lips told Adrien she wasn't really _that_ mad. Angry or not, though, she still deserved to hear something he needed to say.

"I'm sorry."

Marinette stopped what she was doing and looked down at Adrien, surprise at his admission clear on her face.

"For what?" she responded, returning to what she was doing, though now small glances at him interspersed with minding the task that busied her nurturing hands.

Adrien let out a long breath. "Everything?"

A silent beat.

"Wanna be a little more specific?" Marinette finally responded, pursing her lips.

"Not…really."

She snorted. A few quiet moments passed, then Marinette sighed heavily. She dropped her hands down in front of her and turned her full attention on Adrien.

"So…um, h-how long have you known?" she asked quietly, biting her lip.

"About what?"

"About…well, about me being Ladybug."

Adrien hummed in understanding, shifting awkwardly to reposition his aching hide-quarters on his stair. The movement caught Marinette's attention. Suddenly, as if she hadn't even noticed her dastardly deed of tying him up in the first place, Marinette reached into her basket and pulled out some medical scissors. A few snips later and Adrien's hands broke free of their bindings. He sat up straighter, making himself more level with Marinette, who was perched on the stair above his own, her legs draped over his (to keep him from literally _kicking_ and screaming) and feet on the next stair down. Adrien started working on pulling the wads of bandages-turned-tie-downs off his fingers. A ginger touch on his nose brought his eyes back to Marinette.

A very close Marinette.

A close-enough-Adrien-had-to-do-a-little-double-take Marinette.

"Today," Adrien breathed out. He found himself unable to tear his eyes away from her face…and he really didn't mind that at all.

"Hm?" Marinette responded quietly, licking her lips.

"I-I-I'd only known today. About, uh, you. Being Ladybug."

She looked crestfallen for a second, then confused, the emotions passing on her face so quickly and so up close, Adrien was sure he was getting dizzy from it.

"What gave me away?"

Adrien tried to smirk, but his lips were refusing to follow orders.

(They had something else on their mind…and it had nothing to do with talking, but _everything_ to do with the girl sitting incredibly _too_ close in front of him.)

"Um…" Adrien cleared his throat, hoping Marinette ignored that little voice crack. "You see, M'Lady, when a guy gets called a name by a girl he likes, he doesn't easily forget it…especially when she's…er…dressed up as him." He could see the confusion melt into embarrassed understanding in Marinette's eyes, and couldn't resist adding on, "I still think cat ears would've made your outfit _purr_ -fect."

The effect was immediate. It was one of the main reasons Adrien – as Chat Noir – never cut out the puns, no matter how much Ladybug harassed him about them. But it was his calling-card, in a way; the association between puns to Chat Noir was seamless. So, at the sound of one of his signature lines in the tension-filled atmosphere, Marinette, to his immediate delight, snorted, lips twisting upward with the action. The light in her eyes, as she fixed them on his face, danced merrily in the dimming lights, the crinkles at the edges from her accompanying smile clear evidence of the honest merriment she must be feeling.

But…as quickly as it had come, the smile slid off her face.

"Adrien," she started quietly, "was it…was it true?"

"Was what true, Mar?"

She sighed heavily, eyes closing for a moment. When she opened them again, Adrien was alarmed by the moisture building there.

"What…what Luka said about, um, about you…" – her breath in and out was rattling – "…and me."

A beat passed. Marinette seemed to be holding her breath.

"Yes," Adrien answered quietly.

Marinette's hands clenched into fists on her lap.

"It was?" Her voice was so small, Adrien almost cried on the spot.

"Yeah, Mar…it _was_." Tentatively, Adrien lifted a now bandage-free hand to her face, hoping, despite this crap-filled day and his _stupid_ actions, he could show her some sincerity, that something _real was_ growing here. "And then? Then I had to spend an entire week worrying over why it was the way it was between us – Adrien and Marinette, that is – and then _why_ it even mattered to me if Luka liked you or not." He took a deep breath. "And then I had to watch you today – which, admittedly, had some parts I definitely don't regret seeing…." He smiled when she shook her head at him, a laugh and a blush brightening her already glistening eyes. As her cheeks pulled up into a real smile once again, the force pushed against the fullness there and forced a tear to slide down her cheek. Adrien immediately thumbed it away, but just the feel of it, the _reason_ that it was there in the first place, caused his heart to ache. He could feel the wetness pushing into his own eyes, the burning in his throat telling him it wouldn't be long before he wouldn't be able to hold in the emotion much longer.

"But…" he continued after they collected themselves for a moment, "I also had to watch you with…with Luka. And tell myself that I didn't deserve to even feel jealous." The reality of it was starting to hit him more and more. "And then – _then_ you said…you said ' _Beetlebug_ ' and I – "

He couldn't stop it now. Adrien could only turn his betraying eyes away, pull his hand away, wish His Lady to _look_ away, when the first sob broke through the surface. The pain throbbed and burned in his nose, matching the anguish grating on the walls of his heart. He _didn't_ deserve her…never had, and, likely, never would.

But oh, did he _want_ her.

In the depths of his despairing realizations and the heaviness these thoughts pressed on his heart, Adrien felt a pressure on his face. Blinking and sniffing and just all-around _wrecked_ , Adrien couldn't bring himself to meet Marinette's gaze. Marinette, though, didn't press him. Instead, her thin fingers left his face and wrapped around his knees to scooched his legs over into a more comfortable position, one where she could sit comfortably next to him. As her warmth met his side, Adrien, who was still averting his eyes, jumped when her small hands clasped onto his own.

The feeling that had course through him, burning through his veins and pushing him to prove himself, to _win_ , finally formed itself into words. Words that he had to speak out loud; else, as they died on his lips, his heart would die with them. Slowly, fearfully, Adrien turned his head to Marinette, meeting her red-rimmed eyes with his own.

"I thought I lost you both."

Though the words themselves burned his throat in painful emotion, Adrien didn't get another chance to cry. With the force that made Ladybug _Ladybug,_ Marinette abandoned his hands on his lap, reached up, and pulled Adrien's lips to her own.

There was still a lot to say…but it seemed as if neither one cared for more words.

Though Adrien was, perhaps, _less_ experienced than his partner in this particular pair-practice, he was eager to learn…and Marinette seemed to be his perfect teacher. The first touch was a brush of lips, the sensation like a concert master playing the perfect pitch to which the orchestra would tune; the sensation, all at once soft and strong and _beautiful,_ broke as fast as it came, but the feeling continued resonating unrelentingly in the chambers of Adrien's heart, filling him with desire and want and need and…something else. There was a word for it – always had been – and, while Adrien had used it millions of times in his own mind when thinking about Ladybug, he realized – _now_ – how stupidly naïve he had been in its definition.

Eagerness and passion pushed them into the next kiss…and the next. Adrien was drinking her in, reveling in the shockwaves her hands gave him. Without even feeling the need to ask, Adrien laced his fingers in her hair, behind her petite ears and their precious gems, pulling her in at a better angle (all while being extremely mindful of his nose). She sighed, and he breathed it – _her_ – in; it was intoxicating, a drug he could devour endlessly. Lips moved a little more hungrily now – starving souls consuming their heart's desire. Her lips opened and closed in tantalizing circles against his own, and that feeling pushed through his chest harder now. His heart raced frantically. He had to tell her. He'd waited so long, and so had she. And he…he couldn't keep this from her – from them both – any longer.

A heady suctioning sound as they broke apart kept them connecting over and over again for a moment longer than Adrien intended…and he was almost sucked back in to try to define the exact taste and texture of her lips. But, Adrien was stubborn where he felt a need. Pursing his lips – and trying _really_ hard to ignore the feel of her breath on his face – Adrien pulled away from Marinette long enough to mutter the words that had been begging for an out since the day Adrien had met his Ladybug.

His _Marinette_.

"I lub doo."

Adrien blinked...then groaned. So much for a momentous magical moment.

Marinette giggled, only adding to the embarrassment that was a broken nose confession. With a groan, Adrien pushed his reddening forehead into the crook of Marinette's neck to hide his shame.

"Oh, _Minou_ …" Marinette sighed into his hair. "I lub doo too."

 _Fin!_

* * *

[[ THANKS FOR STICKING WITH THIS 'TIL THE END. SORRY IT WAS SO DELAYED! THUS IT IS. hmu on TUMBLR if you have any prompts, story ideas, or fun little quips you'd like me to write! Or, I mean, even if you just want to say 'hi'. I post extra stuff on there (like stuff for AU August!) too if you want...that...I guess.

(YES, 'MY GIRLFRIEND'S BOYFRIEND' AAANNNDDD 'FISH FUNK' WILL BE UPDATED BEFORE THE END OF THIS WEEK! HOPEFULLY TUESDAY AND THURSDAY!)

...seirously, I love you all so flippin' much. Sorry, I'm tired, and this is me, tired. I...ramble. But. Anyway. THANK YOU for every fav, follow, kudos, review, anon comment on tumblr, freak-out moment with or without me, or ANYTHING LIKE THAT. YOU. ARE. AWESOME. THANK YOU.

xoxo,

Maki Mack


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